Pouring spout for paper bags and the like



c. WREN 2,390,822

POURING SPOUT FOR PAPER BAGS AND THE LIKE Q Dec. 11, 1945 Filed Jan. 8, 1944 Patented Dec. 11, 1945 POURING SPOUT FOR PAPER BAGS AND THE LIKE Charles Wren, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application January 8, 1944, Serial N 517,502

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pouring spouts for paper bags and the like.

Up to the present time certain pouring spout structures for bags have been proposed. In most cases, however, difficulty has been experienced in discharging the contents of the bag through the pouring spout with facility. This is particularly the case where flour is concerned which material has a tendency to adhere and bunch such that free pouring is difficult to obtain.

The present invention avoids these disadvantages by providing a structure through which powdered and granulated materials including flour may readily be discharged.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a pouring spout structure for bags which is of particularly simple structure and which by reason of the simple character of the pouring spout and its location will provide for the ready discharge of such powdered materials including flour.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of this character which is located in that end of the bag considered the base when the bag is filled and which is reversed to form the top of the bag when the pouring spout structure is set up.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure which will lend itself readily to simple sealing of the bag and easy opening thereof to set up the pouring spout.

With these and other objects in view the invention generally comprises a bag formed with a base provided with a centrally located weakened area which may be opened to form a discharge orifice, the bag being creased in the base in such a manner that it may be folded and secured to overlie and enclose the weakened area and released and unfolded to expose the weakened area which may be opened to form the discharge orifice, the folds being such as to cause the bag adjacent to the discharge orifice to assume a spout or funnel-like shape, thus to direct the products readily through the centrally disposed discharge orifice.

The invention will be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bag shown open at the top and illustrating the base and the closed discharged opening indicated by weakened lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the base of the bag.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag with the pouring spout opened for the discharge of material therefrom.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the closed and sealed bag.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse section taken through the top of a sealed bag showing an alternative manner of sealing; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section taken through the bottom of the bag with the pouring spout opened ready for discharge.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates a bag according to the present invention which is of generally conventional form having a flat base I0 which is closed by a series of folded flaps. The bag is folded along the transverse crease line II apart from the longitudinal crease line I2 so that the opposed sections of the base I3 and I4 may be brought together and secured such as by a suitable adhesive. In the central portion of the base a discharge opening is defined by way of the weakened preferably circular line I5 and the base of the bag is diagonally creased as at I6 and IT.

The bag is folded along the transverse crease II to bring the opposed portions I3 and I4 together. These may be sealed by suitable spot gluing for instance, and if desired the joined portions I3 and It may be folded transversely as shown in Fig. 4 and spot glued in this position if desired, so that these portions may lie fiat'upon the end of the bag. Alternatively, the portions I3 and I 4 may merely be secured together by spot gluing or the like and normally left to stand upright as shown in Fig. 5, but folded over to the position shown in Fig. 4 during the filling operation.

The opposed portions I3 and I4 of the end I0 of the bag are brought together by folding the end of the bag along the crease line I I and such portions are secured together such as by spot gluing, as shown in Fig. 5. These portions may then be folded transversely to lie as shown in Fig. 4, and the bag reversed. Then, through the upwardly directed open end of the bag it may be filled up to the desired height whereupon the open mouth of the bag is sealed so that it may then be reversed, whereupon the end or folded preliminary base Ill then becomes the top of the bag. In this case the portions I3 and I4 then assume the position substantially as shown either in Figs. 4 or 5, depending upon whether or not these portions are folded transversely and secured to the bag structure as shown in Fig. 4 or left free of the bag structure as shown in Fig. 5.

When it is desired to discharge the contents of the bag or a. part of the contents, the portions l3 and M are readily separated one from the other so as to expose the pouring portion thereof as covered by the tab l9 defined by the weakened line l5. Moreover, by reason of the fact that the depth of the folded portions i3 and I 6 leaves an empty space within the bag, when these sections are separated and the end of the bag is returned to its normal plane, it will be apparent that when the bag is then reversed the space thus provided will, together with the weight of the contents, cause the end of the bag to distend as shown in Fig. 3. which is produced by the fold lines ll, and I1. Thus a funnel-like or spout formation is produced and by breaking the weakened line l5 the tab l9 may be pulled outwardly as shown in Fig. 3 to produce the funnel or spout formation 20 having the discharge opening 2|.

By reason of the fact that the opening 2| is disposed centrally of the end of the bag and the fact that this end assumes the funnel or spoutlike formation 20, thevcontents of the bag are readily guided towards the discharge opening 2| and readily discharged. This applies equally to finely powdered flour which it is difiicult to dispense ordinarily through a restricted opening.

When thedesired quantity of fiour or other powdered material has been dispensed the bag may be again reversed to sit upon the end l8 and the flap l9 may be readily pushed back to lie substantially flush with the surrounding portion of that end of the bag. In this way, therefore, the bag may be carried conveniently on theshelf without inconvenience and the contents readily discharged merely by up-ending the bag so as to form the funnel portion 20 and discharge outlet 2|, the latter being readily opened under weight of the material within the bag which will cause the flap i9 to move outwardly and assume a position substantially'jas shown in Fig. 3.

The bag is readily constructed along normal lines with the exception that the folds I I, I6 and I! are provided in one end which at the start is the base portion of the bag whereas such portion is also provided with the weakened line i5 designed to form the discharge opening 2| when the tab I9 is pulled open.

By this construction it is possible to produce a simple type of bag economically while at the same time provided for a simple and eficient discharge spout that will operate to dispense all kinds of powdered materials without difliculty.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a bag having a sealed end, front and rear.

walls and side walls, the latter being longitudinally foldable to collapse the bag, a pouring spout structure comprising a tearing tab disposed in said sealed end wall centrally thereof and defined by 'a weakened line, said base being transversely oldable intermediate its side edges to provide opposed end Wall portions foldable towards one another and sealable to enclose said tearing tab. said base being provided with fold lines diagonally thereacross, said opposed portions when sealed together enclosing the tearing tab and forming the base of the bag while the bag is being filled through its opposite open end, the latter being scalable to form the base of the bag when the latter is reversed, said sealed portions of the opposite end of the bag being separable to expose said tearing tab, the latter being tearable tt provide a, discharge opening in said end wall, the

latter being distendable along its folded lines to c form a funnel-like pouring spout for discharge of the contents of the bag.

2. In a bag having a sealed end, front andrear walls and side walls, the latter being longitudinally foldable to collapse the bag, a pouring spout structure comprising a tearing tab disposed in said sealed end centrally thereof and defined by a weakened line, said sealed end being provided with fold lines diagonally thereacross and intersecting substantially at the centre of said tearing tab, said end wall forming a preliminary base for the bag while the bag is being filled through its opposite end, the latter being sealable over the contents of the bag to form thtrue base of the bag when the latter is reversed, said tendable along the fold lines therein to form a funnel-like pouring spout around the discharge opening for discharging the contents of the bag.

3. In a flexible walled bag having a sealed end, front and rear walls and side walls, the latter being longitudinally foldable to collapse the bag, a pouring spout structure comprising a tearing tab located in said sealed end, centrally thereof and defined by a weakened line, said base being provided with fold lines diagonally thereacross and intersecting substantially in the centre of said tearing tab said bag being filled through its opposite end, the latter being scalable fully to enclose the desired contents of the bag, said tearing tab being tearable to provide a discharge opening in said end wall, the latter being distendable along its folded lines to form a funnellike pouring spout terminating in said discharge opening for discharge of the contents of the bag.

CHARLES WREN. 

